One step closer

[flea beetle]

Took the plunge and bought a bison handling system from a nice 65 year old guy that is slowing down in life.

Not sure if this is the right move in my life, but it is both scary and exciting. Hasn’t been an animal on the place in some 35-40 years. I believe diversification will be a good way to weather this downturn we are in. It is also fun to learn new things. That is the point of life!

[woodland]

Took the plunge and bought a bison handling system from a nice 65 year old guy that is slowing down in life.

Not sure if this is the right move in my life, but it is both scary and exciting. Hasn’t been an animal on the place in some 35-40 years. I believe diversification will be a good way to weather this downturn we are in. It is also fun to learn new things. That is the point of life!

Hmmmmm……….
Hopefully you and the family love them as it’s just like getting married to them. Probably a little jaded currently after trying to keep the feed and water flowing at 30 or 40 below lately. The canola bin just sits awaiting nicer weather to get loaded out.

I agree the diversity helps even out the income though. Let us know how the journey goes.

Good luck 🍀
P.S. Good move on buying the handling system ahead of the critters. Money well spent 😎

[flea beetle]

Hmmmmm……….
Hopefully you and the family love them as it’s just like getting married to them. Probably a little jaded currently after trying to keep the feed and water flowing at 30 or 40 below lately. The canola bin just sits awaiting nicer weather to get loaded out.

I agree the diversity helps even out the income though. Let us know how the journey goes.

Good luck 🍀
P.S. Good move on buying the handling system ahead of the critters. Money well spent 😎

Well that is the scary part. I don't really know how the kids or myself will like/dislike them. That is why I am going to start slow. 50 animals max. I have had a friend pushing me to get bison for 2 years already, and he finally succeeded. He is in the industry already, so it will be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. He is the one that pushed to get a facility, before the animals. And the deal just happened to fall in my lap.

My understanding is that bison do not require water in winter, and will eat snow. If you are in a feedlot environment, water is more important. But cow/calf isn't as important. So basically make sure they have feed, and a little bit of oats here and there, and you are golden.

Another reason for going the animal route, is the kids don't show much interest in the grain farm, but seem to always gravitate toward the cats and dog. Maybe bison will peak their interest? They are young at 10, 6, and 3. But it isn't fun thinking of selling out in 20-30 years to a stranger, vs passing it along to one or all of the kids.

Will definitely keep updating the growing pains as they play out. Let you guys laugh at my expense and mistakes!

[Sheepwheat]

I have wanted bison for a long time, but you can’t have sheep and bison on the same farm, the sheep kill the bison. Some disease that sheep carry.

Bison, like sheep do not need winter water, which is a huge plus. Bison are one of the rare animals that actually lowers their metabolic needs in winter. The ugliest slough hay you can find is what my friend feeds with. Stockpiled forage and bison are a match made in heaven.

There are so many good things about them. They are big and are intimidating to me. That is reason number two I never jumped in yet.

I wish you all the luck in the world. The guys I know who have them never regretted the decision. I am big on diversity and animals on farms in general, so I am always happy to see someone bucking the trend and thinking outside the box. Good going!

[flea beetle]

I have wanted bison for a long time, but you can’t have sheep and bison on the same farm, the sheep kill the bison. Some disease that sheep carry.

Bison, like sheep do not need winter water, which is a huge plus. Bison are one of the rare animals that actually lowers their metabolic needs in winter. The ugliest slough hay you can find is what my friend feeds with. Stockpiled forage and bison are a match made in heaven.

There are so many good things about them. They are big and are intimidating to me. That is reason number two I never jumped in yet.

I wish you all the luck in the world. The guys I know who have them never regretted the decision. I am big on diversity and animals on farms in general, so I am always happy to see someone bucking the trend and thinking outside the box. Good going!

Thank you for the kind words sheep! I have always admired the initiative you took with getting into sheep, and developing a market. This is the direction I am wanting to head as well. Take a somewhat unique product and start knocking on doors and promoting. People seem to be more and more receptive to locally grown natural product as opposed to the cheapest product they can find these days. One positive that seems to have come from the C word the last couple years!

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Congratulations. Supposed to be much less work than cattle. Not sure how the stress compares though.

This is a perfect example of what I keep saying about the livestock industry. If we want to be competitive in the global market, we can't be feeding and heating, and watering and burning diesel fuel, and baby sitting most of the year when our competition just puts them out on grass year around.

Bison are probably the closest we will get to maintenance free livestock in our climate. Make use of land otherwise ill suited to crops or cattle, graze most of the year, no water, no midnight calving checks ( unless you are a really fast runner in the dark), no heated calving barns etc. Its almost as if they are a natural fit in these areas... Too bad someone had the brainwave to eliminate them, and replace them with cattle. They certainly weren't looking for the easy way.

[RD414]

If you are building new fence for them, you have to go high and put the posts close together. Confirm with the seller of the animals that he is not selling you fence breakers because they will take that to a level you have never seen before. They seem to like slough grass better than good alfalfa. Brome grass hay is also favoured. Good luck, they are easy as long as they are in, but even if they get out, they will follow their escape route going back and usually want to go back in the hole they made in the fence.

[jazz]

I believe diversification will be a good way to weather this downturn we are in. It is also fun to learn new things. That is the point of life!

Hmmm, a herd of bison to fight with or shares in Royal Bank...

I am on the low aggravation path flea, but good on you for courting a new venture like that.

But like you we are looking for some sort of alternative sideline that the kids can take an interest in. Grain farm is too small and its not really to their liking. Was looking at a commercial property in Calgary before covid, now dont know what to invest in other than stocks.

[riders2010]

Good luck on the venture!!
But having a relative in that industry
I can tell you what you likely already
Know. They do not need water yes except
For feedlot part. It is a myth that they
Do t need to be fed well they can utlilize
Poorer feeds better but still require lots of feed.
Some other guys in the industry make my relative
So mad when he sees razorback animals walking
Around and rhe owner is bragging how easy they are to
Keep. Lots of feed every day and you won’t have to
Worry as much about fences go one day when they
Want feed and no fence will stop them.
Grass fed vs grain? Most consumers think the yellow
Far is undesirable when in fact that’s the most
Healthy. So most bison feedlots put the grain to
The animals to get the white but that brings them
More to beef quite ironic.

Again good luck nice to see optimism for
Livestock!!

[joey]

FYI ….. there is some reason bison and sheep should not be in close contact. Can’t remember why, but I would recommend you find out before you mix the 2 species on one farm.

[Old Cowzilla]

Neighbor had Bison they weren't hard to keep in with good fence and did respect a hot wire too. But need good pasture like everything else and if pasture was so -so the cows would not even get in calf to begin with. And the burgers are very tasty !!!!!!! Good luck.

[shtferbrains]

Lots of guys that are left love thier Bison.
Wish you all the best and hope you like the buisness as much as I enjoyed having cows.

2 bits of advice free so worth nothing.

Bison are and always will be wild animals no different than the tigers in that Joe Supid show.
Friend of mine used to try tame the cows down with a pail of oats till one hooked him from behind for 75 stiches cause she wanted hers.

Also all females or males arn't breeding stock same as any other species.
Only with bison the best of the gene pool were shot first when they exterminated them. Most herd all that was left we the smallest dinks that wern't worth going back for. Get someone you can trust to help you get a good start with some good stock will save you 20 yrs trying to breed up.

Bison have been very stable recently but don't fall for any easy money stories. Lots of work getting them to market once your get past driving out in the pasture shooting one for freezer meat.

Again DYOD. Hope you find it your favorite part of farming.

[flea beetle]

If you are building new fence for them, you have to go high and put the posts close together. Confirm with the seller of the animals that he is not selling you fence breakers because they will take that to a level you have never seen before. They seem to like slough grass better than good alfalfa. Brome grass hay is also favoured. Good luck, they are easy as long as they are in, but even if they get out, they will follow their escape route going back and usually want to go back in the hole they made in the fence.

Are you in the bison industry RD?

[flea beetle]

Hmmm, a herd of bison to fight with or shares in Royal Bank...

I am on the low aggravation path flea, but good on you for courting a new venture like that.

But like you we are looking for some sort of alternative sideline that the kids can take an interest in. Grain farm is too small and its not really to their liking. Was looking at a commercial property in Calgary before covid, now dont know what to invest in other than stocks.

I am exposed to the stock market as much as I want to be right now. Not sure which way that is going to turn in the near future. Another reason for looking at investing in something else. Also getting tired of running in high gear all spring, summer and fall…and even half the winter it seems with the grain farm. My friend re-assures me that things will slow down the deeper I get into bison. We will soon find out if it was just a trick to lure me in. Lol

[mcfarms]

FYI ….. there is some reason bison and sheep should not be in close contact. Can’t remember why, but I would recommend you find out before you mix the 2 species on one farm.

scrapie most likely